Sadiron



June 14, 1960 JEPSON 2,940,195

swmou Filed Sept. 30, 1957 I JI/IM IN VEN TOR.

W BY #W United States Patent SADIRON Ivar Jepson, Oak Park, 111., assignor to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 30, 1957, Ser. No. 687,030

6 Claims. (CI. 38-47) This invention relates to sadirons, and more particularly to steam irons which may be used with tap water.

Steam irons have been used for a considerable period of time and their use is increasing at a rapid rate. With steam irons known hitherto it has been essential to use distilled water so that the steam passages do not become fouled and clogged with deposits of lime and other incrustations, which occur whenever tap water is used. It has been very dilficult to clean these past known irons and remove the deposits therefrom. Two types of steam irons known in the past have been in widespread use, the self-contained reservoir type and the convertible type. The self-contained reservoir iron includes a sole plate having a heater located near the upper face thereof with a labyrinth steam-generating chamber formed in the upper face thereof. A sealing plate is fastened by several screws to the sole plate to cover the steam chamber, and a water reservoir is fastened securely to the sole plate and feeds water to the steam-generating chamber where it is flashed into steam which flows through an eXit port to the bottom of the sole plate and onto the work to be ironed. There also is a shell covering the reservoir. If distilled water is not used, minerals are deposited in hard incrustations throughout the steam-generating chamber and the ports leading to and from the chamber and interfere with heat transfer and rapidly clog the ports. To remove the deposits, it is necessary to substantially completely dismantle the iron. The convertible type iron has an external reservoir remote from the sole plate and has a sealing plate secured by several screws to the sole plate and a shell covering the entire sole plate. While it is, of course, not necessary to remove the reservoir to clean the steam-generating chamber of the convertible iron, the iron must be disassembled substantially completely and, as with the reservoir type, it is very difficult to remove the hard incrustations from the chamber and ports.

it is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a steam iron having a replaceable lining for the steamgenerating chamber thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a steam iron. having a steam-generating chamber formed in the upper portion'thereof into which fits a readily removable cartridge for collecting all deposits from tap water used with the iron. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide a steam iron having a soleplate provided with a socket in the upper face thereofserving to receive a chamber having stainless steel wool therein for generating steam from tap water. A low melting point solder which will not alloy with either orboth the sole plate or the chamber transfers heat therebeween.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

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For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a steam iron forming one embodiment of the present'invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section of the iron shown in Fig. 1 taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a removable cartridge of the iron shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of a press forming the cartridge shown in Fig. 3. 1

The present invention provides a steam iron having a steam generating chamber formed by a readily removable and replaceable cartridge. The iron sole plate is provided with a socket in the upper face thereof into which fits a shell or cartridge containing stainless steel wool. A cap locks the cartridge in the socket and carries a spout supplying tap water to the cartridge. This water is flashed into steam in the cartridge and travels from the cartridge through a passage to the bottom of the sole plate for steaming: a fabric. The bottom wall of the cartridge is very thin, and the stainless steel wool is packed under compression in the cartridge to press the thin-walled bottom of the cartridge against the bottom of the socket over the entire surfacethereof to provide excellent heat transfer from the sole plate to the cartridge. A disc of tin solder melting at less than the boiling point of water may be positioned between the cartridge and the bottom of the socket to provide excellent heat transfer between the cartridge and the'soleplate, or this may be elfected by coating the bottom of the cartridge with a thin layer of the solder. The composition of the solder is such that it will not alloy with the sole plate so that the cartridge may be easily removed from the socket.

There is shown in the drawings a steam iron 10 to be used with a water reservoir (not shown) of a known type supplying water to the iron 10 through a hose 12 and being mounted on an ironing board (not shown). The iron includes an electric resistance heating element 14 (Fig. 2) embedded in a cast aluminum sole plate 15 and supplied with power from an electric cord 16 to heat the sole plate 15 to the desired temperature. The heating element 14- is disposed on the sole plate in the form of a U or loop as is well known in the sadiron art. The sole plate is provided with a socket 20 near to and surrounded on three sides by the loop of the element 14. The socket 20 is designed to receive a cartridge or shell 21, and the sadiron also has a thermostat (not shown) for controlling the temperature of the iron mounted thereon behind the socket. A cover 22 fits over the upper portion of the sole plate 15 to enclose the thermostat, insulate the hand of the user from the sole plate, and present an attractive appearance for the upper portion of the iron. An open front handle 23 supported solely by a rear post 24 is secured to the cover 22. The handle 23 carries a temperature control knob (not shown) of a known type at its forward end, and ispro vided with suitable known means extending through the interior thereof to control the thermostat thereby controlling the temperaure of the iron. I '7 Tap water in the reservoir is supplied by the hose 12 to connector tube 31 communicating with a bore 29 in cap 32. A heavy walled tube 33 having a tapered nose 34 is drive fitted into the bore 29. The cap 32 has cam lugs 35 therein over which cam lugs 36 of a ring 37 fit and press the cap 32 downwardly. The ring 37 is fastened to the sole plate 15 by members 38, which may be n'vets or cap screws. The cap 32 is designed to fit over the socket 26 and be easily removed therefrom, and 7 r is sealed thereto by a gasket 39 of silicone rubber.

The steam-generating cartridge 21 (Fig. 3) fits closely and removably in the socket 20. The cartridge includes athin walled'bottom'cup 44 filled withwool 45 of a rinst'aining metal of. a type which retains its resiliency'even after being heated to maximum temperatures of the iron, such as stainless'steel, for examplqpacked therein by a ram 46 and a split areas (Fig.4) pressing'a cover 47 against the wool to compress it highly; Known techniques are 'used'tocrirnpthe rim 51 of the cup 44 over a short rim 52 of the cover v47 while the steel wool is highly compressed. The cartridge, when unrestrained, bulges but slightly at the top'andbot'tom, which'causes wall44b to pull slightly inward to facilitate insertion and removal of the cartridge irithe socket 20 while providing a close fit when the 'cover 47' is pressed by the cap 32 to a nearly'planar condition.

f Bpttom portion 44a of thecup 44, which preferably is composed of copper orsteelof about 3 to 4 thousandths of "an in'ch thickness, substantially foil, preferably is' covered: with a layer 49 of tin solder of a well known typemelt ing at less than 2 12" F. The solder will not alloy withjthe aluminum sole plate 15 but intimately contacts thelbottom of the socket when .rn'elted to transfer heat very effectively-from thesoleplate to the cartridge. "This transfer of heat is aided by the spring action of the stainless steel wool which presses the thin bottom 44a'o'f"the cup' 44 into close conforming contact with thebottom-ofthe socket 20; Instead of the exterior of the bottom cup 44 being coated with the tin solder, the layer 49 may be a separate disc of the solder of the thickness of foil, the disc'pr'eferably' being of about the 's'amediameter as that of the socket. The cartridge cup 7 44 has-peripheral ports 66 spaced from a discharge pasmatter ofsecondsa The caftridge 21 is inexpensive in cost while being highly effective in operation.

. bottom face thereof, said shell having an opening com- Y While there has been illustrated and described what is at present believed to be the preferred'embodiment of the present invention, numerous changes and modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended elaimsito cover all such changes and modifications 'as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patentof the United States is: V

1. In a steam iron, the combination of a sole plate having a socket opening atthe'upperface thereof, a shell having thiniwalls pressedinto said socket, said sole plate having an outlet passageleadingfrorn said'socket to the municating with said outlet passage in said sole plate, a

cap locked to said sole plate having means for supplying vided with a generally cylindrical socket and a heater looped around said socket, 'a cartridge fitting into said socket and having inlet and outlet openings, a discharge pa'ssagein communication with said outlet openingsand grooves 69'formed in the bottor'n'of the sole plate. The

ports 66 are all located'a substantial distance from the passage 68 so that if water not generated into steam should overflow into the groove 67, it is converted into steam'by virtue of the elevated temperature of the sole plate before reaching the bottom of the passage 68. Preferablythe ports 66 are located in about one-half the circle of the cartridge and are spaced on the opposite side of the cartridge from .the passage 68.

During the operation of the iron, tap water is supplied to the fwool-filled interior of the cartridge through the tube 33, which 'fits tightly into a complementary tapered socket tor passage 71 in the top 47. The sole plate is heated by the element 14. and heats the cartridge 21 through the solder disc 49 and through the walls 444 4412 which are pressed tightly against the walls of the socket 20 by the pressure from the cap 32. The water is flashed into steam which travels through the ports 66,'the groove 67 and the passage 68 to the grooves 69. The residue from the water deposits on the wool, and

. when the deposits become excessive, the cap 32 is turned and removed. Thisrelieves the pressure on the cartridge 21, and the wool 45 bulges the thin cap 47 to remove any pressure between the wall 44b of the cartridge up extending to the bottom face of said sole plate, a water passage communicating with said inlet opening to introduc'e water into said cartridge, and a disc of solder hav ing a melting point lower than the boiling point of water positioned between the bottom of said cartridge and the bottom of said socket for transferring heattherebetween.

3! In a steam iron, a sole, plate having a heated upper surface and a heated ironing surface, a steam-generating cartridge, means pressing said cartridge against said I heated 'upper surface into good heat transfer relation with said sole plate, 'said cartridge being readily removable from said'heated upper surface by releasing said pressing means, means supplying water to said cartridge, and means directing steam'from said cartridge to the bottom of said sole plate. I i 4. In a steam ir'on, a sole plate having a steam generating cavity therein', a cartridge having a flexible shell filled with metallic foraminous material under compression and havinga water inlet'and'a steam outlet, a passageway communicating with said steam eutlet and extending through the bottom ofsaid sole plate, said cartridge being insertable into and removable from said cavity, and a plug memberfor compressing said fiexible shell to force the walls of said shellagainst 'the'walls of said cavity into good hea't'exchange'relation with said sole plate.

5. In a steam iron, asole plate having an upwardly facing socket therein, a cartridge including a 'shell'of flexible material andmetallic foraminous material in said shell and under compression therein, said cartridge when under compression being adapted to fit tightly in said from the bottom of the socket 26'. The cartridge then may be easily removed from the sole plate and replaced with a new cartridge identical therewith. If desired, instead tof the solder alloying with the cartridge cup 44, the bottom surface of the cup may be treated by known materials so as to prevent bonding therebetweenbut to permit excellent thermal transfer between the solder disc, when it is molten, and the cup; V 7' socket, a plug member adapted-to close the top of said socket and compress'said cartridge therein, passageway means. communicating withthe interior of said cartridge and extending throughsaid sole plate to the. bottom thereof. and means carried by said plug member for supplying water. to said' cartridge. I l V a x l 6. In a steam iron; a sole .plate having anupwardly opening steam generatingchambertherein, a shell adapted 5 6 gaging the portion of said shell surrounding said open- 2,306,984 Tolman Dec. 29, 1942 ing, and means for supplying water to said tube. 2,365,332 Cissell Dec. 19, 194-4 2,554,926 Schoenwald May 29, 1951 References Cited in the file of this patent 2 5 3,1 1 Zimmerman et 1 Sept 1 1951 UNI ED STATES PATENTS 5 2,713,423 Russell July 19, 1955 2,231,275 Marvin Feb. 11, 1941 

